Coffee

PLANTATIONS:

Most of the farm contains shade-grown arabica coffee plantations. The main varieties are Catimor, Catuai, Caturra and Borbón.

There is also a plantation of robusta-type coffee that is processed totally separated from the arabica coffee.

Our coffee has been classified "Extra Prime Washed" during most recent years, and we are constantly improving its quality.

MILLING AND DRYING:

The coffee harvest begins normally in September and ends in January. More than 50 pickers gather the ripe coffee beans in baskets and we transport them to the mill to process them the same day.

Our traditional processing system has been perfected to produce a top quality coffee wich has been well-selected.

The ripe coffee beans are separated from their sorrounding cherry-type fruit and are then fermented, washed and dried using energy from water, sun, firewood and electricity.

SELLING:

Most of the coffee is sold as "parchment coffee", with beans still in their protectrive husks. Harvests have varied between 40,000 and 75,000 pounds (18-34,000Kg) per year of top-grade parchment coffee.

After processing, the parchment coffee is stored in wooden warehouses with constant temperature and low humidity until the buyers' trucks take it away.

We use part of the coffee to roast locally, consume at the farm, and sell to visitors and customers. It is sold ground or in whole beans in sealed bags under the name "Café Aroma de Guatemala - Our Best Shade-Grown Coffee".